


we are for each other

by suhrealist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-11-24 12:51:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20907959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suhrealist/pseuds/suhrealist
Summary: He takes in everything about the new boy. The way he fiddles with the sleeves of his sweater, his small, nervous giggles, his lost look when he turns to his translator and the immediate relief in his eyes once he understands what’s been said.Cute, Ten thinks.





	we are for each other

Ten gazes towards the middle of the practice room while stretching his legs. Just a few feet away Sicheng is doing his own warm up facing the floor length mirrors. He catches Sicheng’s eye through the mirror and grins at him.

** **

It was their first time officially dancing together. Well, the first time the _ whole world _would see them. But for now, it was their little secret. No one else knew what song they were dancing to, their choreography, their story (aside from their team, of course). It was their baby, their masterpiece, and Ten can’t help but think back on how far they’ve come.

** **

“What are you thinking about?” Sicheng asks him as he comes over and reaches out for Ten’s hand.

** **

“Nothing much,” Ten replies. He’s been trying to improve on his Chinese by using it even in casual conversations. He takes Sicheng’s hand and pulls on it as he stands. He smiles fondly at the taller boy, craning his neck to meet his eyes.

** **

“Remember when we first met?”

** **

* * *

The first time Ten meets Sicheng, he’s a bundle of nerves. First, the guy was _ extremely _cute. No one could deny that. Second, he’s Chinese. Neither of them could speak Korean very well and they couldn’t communicate in their own languages either. He’s afraid he won’t be able to get close to the new guy because of the language barrier but dammit he was gonna try.

** **

“Hi, I’m Ten,” he says in English, extending his hand for Sicheng to shake.

** **

“Hi, my… name is Sicheng. But you call me Winwin?” God, even his name was cute. But Ten is more taken aback by the smooth, deep voice that reaches his ears.

** **

Ten steps back and lets the others introduce themselves. His eyes never leave Sicheng, though. He takes in everything about the new boy. The way he fiddles with the sleeves of his sweater, his small, nervous giggles, his lost look when he turns to his translator and the immediate relief in his eyes once he understands what’s been said.

** **

_ Cute, _Ten thinks. The boy is shy but also seems to quietly shine. There’s something about him that Ten can’t quite put his finger on, but he’s determined to find out more.

** **

“Ten, you coming?” Johnny asks, placing a large hand on Ten’s shoulder. The simple gesture shakes him from his thoughts.

** **

“Wha-?” He hates that he has to crane his neck so much just to look at Johnny. Curse tall people.

** **

“We’re going out to eat to welcome the new trainees. C’mon, I don’t wanna run out of food and you know how hungry Taeyong gets after practice.”

** **

“Like a man starving in a desert.”

** **

“Exactly.”

** **

***

** **

Sicheng is already in the study, reading a Korean book when Ten shows up for their lessons. He’s always early and Ten is always 10 minutes late. Almost impeccably so, as if he runs on his own clock and in his world, he’s always on time.

** **

He waves at Sicheng before setting down his bag and taking his usual seat beside him. It’s been a few weeks of Korean lessons with Sicheng and even though Ten has had a head start, he can’t really say he’s too far ahead of the rest of the new rookies.

** **

“Watcha reading there?” Ten asks, trying to decipher the cover of Sicheng’s book while pulling out his own textbooks from his backpack.

** **

“Oh, um…”

** **

Sicheng lifts up his book so that Ten can see the cover. It looks like a children’s book, judging from the illustrations, but Ten can’t say he’s familiar with it. After all, he prefers learning Korean by conversing with the locals (more like his fellow trainees) rather than actually studying.

** **

“Is it good?” Ten asks, trying to keep the conversation going. It’s not that Sicheng doesn’t try to interact with Ten, it’s just that any minute now Yuta’s gonna come barging into the room and steal most of Sicheng’s attention.

** **

“Y-yes, it’s… good! You want to see?” Sicheng then extends the book towards Ten so that they can read it at the same time. The book’s large enough so that they can both read comfortably, but Ten leans his head towards the other boy’s anyway.

** **

It’s a sweet, simple story about a girl and her kite but Ten gets absorbed in it anyway. He never stopped to notice how much faster he was able to read Hangul these days. He finds himself finishing each page seconds before Sicheng does, and he allows a little swell of pride to form in his chest. 

** **

He takes this extra time to observe the other boy, who reads while trying to form each word with his mouth. Ten smiles softly to himself and he would have gone into a tangent over how cute Sicheng was if it wasn’t for the boy that comes crashing into the classroom. The two look up at Yuta who’s panting harshly but grinning at them victoriously.

** **

“Just… ran past… our teacher… That means I’m not late, okay!” He then grabs the seat on Sicheng’s other side, proceeding to talk a mile a minute. Ten will never understand how Yuta picks up languages so fast, but he lets it slide and allows Sicheng’s attention to wander from him as usual.

** **

_ It’s okay, _ he thinks. _ We have plenty of time. _

** **

***

** **

Life as a trainee was hard, to say the least. For months Ten has done nothing but spend hours in practice rooms down in the basement with a dozen other sweaty, smelly boys. There are days when he wonders if all this will be worth it. He wonders if he’ll ever see the day when he gets to share all his hard work with the rest of the world.

** **

Then there are days like this. When he has the practice room all to himself and all the walls lined with mirrors make it feel like the possibilities are endless.

** **

Ten has _ always _loved dancing, even as a child when he was just dancing in his underwear in the living room. Alone in the practice room, he doesn’t have to worry about what song comes on shuffle next. He’ll keep dancing until he turns into a puddle on the floor.

** **

He’s so preoccupied with the music that he doesn’t even notice the door opening and the pair of curious, unsure eyes watching him. That is, until he spots Sicheng in one of the floor length mirrors. Ten hits the last note, hands outstretched to the ceiling lights as if reaching for something. He tries to catch his breath before turning to lower the volume on his phone and greeting Sicheng with a tired wave.

** **

“You came here to practice too?” Ten asks, taking a seat beside the other boy and downing his bottle of water.

** **

“Yes,” Sicheng says, nodding. “I, um, didn’t think anyone would be here.”

** **

“Oh, well, I practically live here but you’re welcome to practice with me!” Sicheng smiles at him, shy at first, but it widens when Ten nudges him with his shoulder. 

** **

“You go ahead, I don’t think I can stand,” Ten laughs.

** **

Sicheng walks over to the speakers and transfers the aux cord from Ten’s phone to his. He puts on an instrumental track from one of his favorite movies then makes his way to the center of the room, stretching his arms over his head.

** **

Ten has never actually seen Sicheng dance by himself, let alone freestyle. They’ve always been lumped into a group, always practicing rigorous and precise choreography. But when he learned that Sicheng had been recruited because of his dancing, he couldn’t wait to see.

** **

He watches Sicheng lift his leg and launch himself from the floor, making it look so easy, as if he was weightless. He can tell Sicheng is in his element with this style of dancing, so graceful yet powerful at the same time. His lines are so perfect, every toe point and hand movement is deliberate. His acrobatics were heartstopping too. It was something Ten had been dying to learn but never found time to. Ten has never felt more captivated in his entire life.

** **

More than the technicalities, Ten can almost see a story unfolding. Sicheng started with more restrained movements, always bringing his arms closer to himself. But as the song reaches its crescendo, it almost looks like Sicheng is flying across the room, arms outstretched like wings behind him. 

** **

He sees a boy, restrained by his inability to communicate in a foreign land, in a strange company and an unknown environment, forced to dance in a style that was not his own. He sees a boy who wants to fly, to succeed. A boy filled with so much determination and passion that you can’t help but root for him.

** **

Ten feels as if he can understand Sicheng fully now, using more than just words, but this art form they both feel so tied to. Ten realizes they may have more in common than he first thought.

** **

***

** **

Since that first time they had the practice room to themselves, Ten and Sicheng have made it a habit to practice together. Sometimes they would take turns dancing alone, commenting on each other’s technique and style. On other days they would just dance alongside each other, no rhyme or reason other than the music that fueled them both. They were both so focused on dancing that they barely had any space to talk during these sessions.

** **

On one particular Friday evening, while the two boys start on their cooldown routine, Ten thinks of a brilliant idea.

** **

“Winwinnie,” he says, stretching his torso into a twist so he can see Sicheng. The boys had all started calling Sicheng by his stage name, _ to get used to it _, their managers had said. The only way Ten rebels is by turning the already cute nickname even cuter. Sicheng pauses mid stretch, his arm reaching over his head and holding onto the sole of his opposite foot.

** **

“Have you ever been to Lotte World?” Ten asks, grinning. They all have the day off tomorrow, and most of the other boys were going home. His best friend Johnny was attending a wedding with Taeyong, and even Yuta was seeing his parents who had flown to Korea for a visit. Ten ignores the slight sting of homesickness and turns to focus on Sicheng again.

** **

“Hmm, no. I haven’t really been anywhere yet?” Sicheng says, a pout forming on his lips.

** **

“Well then, we should go! I haven’t been to an amusement park in _ ages _.” Ten rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling, his chest still heaving from their intense workout. Sicheng just smiles at him and nods.

** **

“I’d love to go.”

** **

***

** **

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Sicheng asks, tugging on the sleeve of Ten’s jacket. Ten tries not to smile when Sicheng keeps a firm grip on his backpack so he won’t get lost. They can barely see the turrets of Lotte World’s knock-off Sleeping Beauty castle, but actually getting there is another story.

** **

“Well, these are the instructions Jaehyun gave me, and he’s been here tons of times.” Ten pauses and looks around, spotting a young couple nearby. Swallowing down his nerves, he approaches them to ask for directions. 

** **

One could say Ten has all the confidence in the world, and he could boast about the amount of languages he could speak too. But using all his knowledge of Korean on people who have no idea who he is leaves him a bit more uneasy.

** **

“E-excuse me,” Ten says, cursing his stutter but effectively gaining the couple’s attention. “Could you teach us how to get to Lotte World?” He points at the map Jaehyun sent to him, as if it would help get his point across. The girl slows down her speech while giving directions, something that would have annoyed Ten any other day but right now he’s just thankful for it.

** **

After successfully noting down the directions on his phone, Ten sends the couple a wide smile and bows several times, unaware that Sicheng’s doing the same thing behind him. The couple chuckles at their antics and waves goodbye when they part ways. It turns out the entrance wasn’t even where Ten thought it was (and _ maybe _he accidentally read the station name wrong, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Sicheng).

** **

“I would have gotten lost if you weren’t here,” Sicheng admits, playing with the ends of his sweater sleeves.

** **

Ten can feel the blush creeping onto his cheeks but he shakes his head and just grins at Sicheng, throwing an arm around the taller boy. “That’s what I’m here for, Win! I’ll be your one-stop guide to all things Seoul!”

** **

“You’re not even from here,” Sicheng mumbles, rolling his eyes at Ten, but he leans against him to let him know his help is appreciated.

** **

The close proximity doesn’t help in subduing the fluttery feeling in Ten’s chest. Sicheng is just too _ cute _. And he’s independent, yes, but also so innocent and clueless that Ten can’t help but take care of him, even when he’s so far from being the motherly type (he leaves that task to Taeyong and the other new trainee, Kun).

** **

They head back into the station they had just come from to ride the train for a couple more stops. At some point, Ten notices that even sitting down, he’s at the perfect height to lay his head on Sicheng’s shoulder and he tries _ so _hard not to make it such a big deal in his head. But the train ride is quiet and the thoughts in Ten’s brain get noisier and noisier until—

** **

_ Next stop: Jamsil station. _

** **

***

** **

“Okay, now it’s your turn!” Ten announces, making Sicheng jump a little. After finally getting off at the right stop, making their way in the underground station and mall, they finally arrived at the entrance to the popular amusement park.

** **

“My turn to do what?” Sicheng asks, already nervous about what Ten wants him to do.

** **

“Well since I got us here, very successfully I might add, you should get us our tickets!” Ten extends his arm towards the ticketing booth, as if he’s presenting Sicheng with a prize. 

** **

Sicheng grumbles all the way to the booth while Ten pushes him from behind, clearly enjoying his suffering. When he gets to the cashier’s window he’s greeted by a cheery young woman. She looks friendly enough but Sicheng still can’t help his stuttering through the language that still feels very alien in his mouth.

** **

“Uh, um, two tickets please?” He says, his voice lilting up into a question at the end.

** **

“Will that be two adults, sir?”

** **

“O-oh, sorry?” Ten catches Sicheng’s voice growing smaller and steps in to offer his help, but Sicheng waves him away with one hand, determination written all over his face. The cashier points over to the ticket prices and Sicheng then understands what she’s saying, nodding and pointing at the ones he wanted. In just a few seconds their tickets have been printed, exchanged for their cash, and are in Sicheng’s hand that’s waving excitedly in the air.

** **

“I did it! Ten! Did you see that?” Sicheng grins at Ten, still showing off the tickets proudly. Ten beams up at him and he can’t help the feeling of pride that’s welling up inside him. It was a simple task, really, but for two people who haven’t been out without one of their Korean friends, it definitely was an accomplishment.

** **

“I sure did! Now let’s go get on those rides!” Ten grabs at Sicheng’s lanky arm and weaves them through the crowd filled with families and groups of school children. At some point Ten had ended up grasping Sicheng’s hand instead of his arm, and he can feel the way Sicheng’s grip tightens when they come face to face with the _ gigantic _loop of the rollercoaster.

** **

“Whoa, how’d they get that in here?” Ten jokes, trying to coax a smile from his companion.

** **

“T-that’s… really high,” Sicheng mutters, voice deep and trembling. Ten looks up at him, concern written all over his face.

** **

“We don’t have to ride it if you don’t want to?” He suggests, tugging at Sicheng’s hand again to steer him away from the tall structure.

** **

“I’m sorry,” Sicheng replies, pulling his hand away from Ten’s to cover his face. _ He must be embarrassed _, Ten thinks, but he can’t help but miss the warmth of his hand. 

** **

On most days, Sicheng remains an enigma to Ten. He can be so stoic in one moment, then so easily flustered in the next. He doesn’t talk about himself a lot, maybe still lacking the vocabulary to express more complex thoughts. But he hears the way he speaks in his mother tongue with Kun, so much more animated and verbose. Ten finds himself determined to learn Mandarin just so he can understand all the things Sicheng has to say.

** **

This is the first time Ten learns of Sicheng’s fear of heights, and he takes care to file this away in his brain in case it ever comes up again. He really isn’t the motherly type, _ he swears _ , but something about Sicheng instills this need to _ protect _in Ten.

** **

“Hey, don’t worry about it! There’s tons of other things we can do here…” he assures Sicheng and scans their crowded surroundings. Perhaps the holiday weekend wasn’t the best time to go out, but they barely have any free time as it is. Training is grueling, and if he didn’t get this chance to go out, he would have gone stir crazy.

** **

Ten walks towards the railing, overlooking the rest of the indoor amusement park, while Sicheng stands back a few steps behind him. Ten’s eyes light up when he sees that the first floor is almost entirely dominated by an ice skating rink. It’s been a while since he last stepped into skates, _ but it can’t be that hard, can it? _

** **

“Win! Come check this out!” Ten calls, but the other boy refuses to come any closer, his gaze stuck firmly on the ceiling.

** **

“No thanks, I’m good.”

** **

Ten laughs and skips his way back to Sicheng, telling him about his bright idea.

** **

“Ice skating… doesn’t sound so bad?” Sicheng’s voice lilts up, the tiniest hint of hesitation on his face.

** **

“You have incredible balance, I’m sure you’ll be fine!” Ten finds himself assuring Sicheng a lot, but it doesn’t tire him out. He wants the other boy to be comfortable around him, but he also wants to make sure they don’t miss out on trying new things, no matter how disastrous it mind end up being.

** **

Sicheng lets Ten lead him again, allowing him to take over all the talking and paying for their skates. He even lets Ten lace up his skates for him. _ I’m sure it’s only because it’s his first time _, Ten reasons with himself, missing the mischievous glint in Sicheng’s eyes.

** **

“Okay! You’re all set,” Ten announces, busy examining his handiwork on both their feet. Sicheng stands and almost immediately falls down, but Ten’s quick enough to catch his flailing arms.

** **

“Don’t you dare let go,” Sicheng warns, but his attempt at acting intimidating fails when he stumbles while taking another step.

** **

Ten almost coos at him when the image of Bambi learning how to walk floats into his brain. He leads them both to the entrance of the rink, gripping the bar at the sides for support. A bunch of school children fly past them, with no care if they’re slipping and sliding, but they definitely make the two teenagers look like amateurs (which they are, to be fair).

** **

Sicheng abandons Ten’s hold on him in favor of the metal bar that surrounds the rink, pulling himself along on his still trembling legs. Ten’s laugh is cut short when he slips and falls on his butt as soon as Sicheng lets go of him.

** **

Ten freezes up in shock, not expecting to be _ this _ bad on his first try. The ice is _ so _cold, the melted water already seeping in through his skinny jeans. He scrambles to get up on his hands and knees, but he’s entirely unprepared for this, his thin sweater not doing enough to ward off the cold.

** **

He feels a hand pulling him up by the arm and when he looks up, Sicheng’s grinning at him, all traces of nervousness gone from his features. Ten’s eyes soften at the sight, glad that his unfortunate accident had a positive effect on at least _ one _person.

** **

Ten was right though.

** **

Sicheng’s incredible balance made him a natural on the ice, despite never having done this before. Ten, on the other hand, is still shivering in his skates. He scowls as Sicheng skates in circles around him, as if he wasn’t acting like such a baby just a few minutes ago.

** **

“Come on, Ten! The ice is fine!”

** **

“Go away!”

** **

Sicheng just laughs, bright and open, and Ten thinks _ wow. I could get used to this. _

** **

***

** **

Somewhere along the way, Ten had come to terms with the fact that he’s been infatuated with Sicheng this whole time.

** **

In the middle of debuting separately and their conflicting schedules, Ten found himself missing Sicheng’s company more and more. He didn’t even notice how much of a presence the other boy had in his life. Practice sessions weren’t as fun as they used to be. Whenever they bumped into each other in the building or in the dorms, there was barely enough time for a _ hello/goodbye. _

** **

It was tiring. That was for sure. But instead of letting Sicheng drift away, Ten was going to hold on even tighter. Stubborn was his middle name, it was in his genes, he never gave up without a fight (or at least a complaint).

** **

** _Ten: _ ** _ hey. can you meet me on the rooftop tonight? _

** **

** _Ten: _ ** _ i need to tell you something _

** **

** _Sicheng: _ ** _ Ten???? It’s 2 in the morning what are u doing up _

** **

** _Ten: _ ** _ i’ll explain later. pls? i want to see you… _

** **

** _Sicheng: _ ** _ ok ok i’ll be there in a sec _

** **

Ten paces back and forth along the edge of their dorm building’s rooftop deck. He’s only been waiting for a few minutes but his nerves make it feel like he’s been here for hours. Glancing at the door every few seconds, waiting for a glimpse of Sicheng, he fails to formulate any sort of plan in his head. 

** **

_ I’m just gonna wing it, I guess. _

** **

The next time he looks towards the door, Sicheng’s standing there, still in his pyjamas and looking all adorable and sleepy. He catches a yawn, then a tired smile, before Sicheng makes his way to Ten who has suddenly gone very still.

** **

“What did you want to talk about?” Sicheng asks, finally breaking the silence. His voice was deep and scratchy, Ten is positive he just disturbed his sleep.

** **

“I honestly don’t really know…” Ten replies, voice soft and unsure. “I’ve missed you.”

** **

Sicheng’s eyes widen but he smiles at Ten, reaching for his arm and pulling him into a side hug. Ten refuses to look up at Sicheng’s face, knowing how red his cheeks must be right about now.

** **

“I’ve missed you too, but you couldn’t have waited until morning?” Sicheng teases, pinching Ten’s arm which was trapped between them.

** **

Ten takes a deep breath to steel himself. _ It’s now or never, _ he thinks. He’s already got Sicheng here, it’s a romantic enough setting, _ don’t let this go to waste. _

** **

“Sicheng, I-” _ just breathe, Ten! _

** **

The taller boy just watches him quietly, a small glint of concern in his eyes. He nods at Ten to continue, so he does.

** **

“I like you.”

** **

Ten can feel Sicheng’s arms around him tensing and he immediately regrets saying anything. Regrets ever developing feelings for his co-worker, his _ friend. _It was a dumb, stupid idea, to even think of confessing when they were so caught up in the limelight.

** **

“I like you too.”

** **

“Huh?”

** **

Ten looks up so fast at Sicheng that he swears he just experienced whiplash. He notes the faint blush on the apple of Sicheng’s cheeks and his nervous lip biting, but Ten still can’t quite believe it.

** **

“You don’t have to say that just because I did,” Ten mumbles, yet he hopes that Sicheng won’t take it back.

** **

“I said it because it’s true, dummy. I have for a while, but I never thought someone like _ you _ would like _ me _,” Sicheng’s voice has gone softer too, but his hold on Ten’s arms still feels bruising.

** **

Ten sighs, finally letting a smile grace his face. “You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he reprimands Sicheng, playfully slapping his arm. In the next beat, he takes Sicheng’s face in his hands, tiptoeing just so he can meet his eyes.

** **

“You know you’re gonna have a hard time getting rid of me after this,” Ten warns, but his eyes don’t hold any of the edge his words pretend to have.

** **

“Who would ever want to?” Sicheng counters, finally closing the distance between them.

** **

* * *

** **

“I still consider Lotte World as our first date,” Ten says, wiping the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve.

** **

“You were _ so _confident in your skating skills, poor baby,” Sicheng snickers. The pair had found themselves crashing onto the practice room floor, a scene that must have played out a thousand times by now.

** **

Ten doesn’t get to reminisce with Sicheng that often, what with their currently busy schedules, recordings and dance practices and flights between China and South Korea. He’s honestly grateful for this project, and _ so _excited that he and Sicheng get to show the rest of the world what they can do together. It’s funny how their fans don’t really associate them with each other, they’re not seen together all too often either, but somehow Ten has never stopped gravitating towards Sicheng and vice versa.

** **

“Well at least I made you laugh!” Ten retorts, thinking back to that first time he went out with Sicheng. Well, back then it couldn’t have been called a date, but they’ve been on more than enough after that, enough to make up for it. He catches Sicheng’s other hand and intertwines their fingers, his breathing now starting to even out after another session of choreographing and practicing their dance cover.

** **

“You were trying so hard to impress me, weren’t you?” Sicheng teases, flinching when Ten lightly scratches the back of his hand with his long fingernails.

** **

“And so what if I was?” Ten pouts, rolling over until he’s pressed against the other boy. Sicheng just laughs at him again, allowing his boyfriend his need for displays of affection. 

** **

Ten notes how Sicheng has never been one for skinship, how it took so long for the handholding to evolve into hugs and tentative kisses. He likes to imagine that it’s because he managed to make Sicheng feel comfortable around him early on. Sicheng may act indifferent sometimes but for Ten, it wasn’t hard to tell whenever he felt uneasy or scared.

** **

Closing his eyes, Ten lays his head on Sicheng’s chest, curling up even more like a cat. _ Comfort, safety, familiarity _were things that Ten wouldn’t have thought of associating with Sicheng when he first met him. When they were both fumbling through languages that were still so foreign to them.

** **

When they run through their routine again, and Sicheng looks at him with that quiet power in his eyes, Ten’s breath hitches in his throat. He’s here now, still struggling to learn another language that was not his own, traveling to places he’s never been before, with the nth group he’s been thrown into. But when Sicheng holds the back of his neck and lets Ten’s face rest in the crook of his, Ten thinks—no, he _ knows _—there’s no other place he’d rather be.

**Author's Note:**

> big BIG thanks to my beta, yoon, for helping me flesh out this fic, i couldn't have finished it without you!!


End file.
